Report: Photos Suggest iPad 3 Will Have Quad-Core Chip, Global LTE

The iPad 3 should have twice as dense a display as the iPad 2, pictured above. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Apple iDevice rumor-mongering is so much better when pictures are involved. And today that’s what we’ve got: Photographic “proof” of core features inside Apple’s upcoming iPad 3.

The images, which come by way of BGR, reportedly show an iPad 3 prototype running a debugging tool called iBoot. Spec details appear in the iBoot screen, but the images don’t reveal what the device itself actually looks like. All we see are the pixels of a vaguely tablet-like display.

Their authenticity notwithstanding, the heavily redacted images are being held up as evidence that the iPad 3 will have a quad-core A6 processor, and based on the model numbers (J1 and J2), it will be available in two versions: WiFi only, and GSM/CDMA/LTE for 4G on all carriers. The A6 processor looks to have the model number S5L8945X, BGR reports. Model numbers for past Apple processors include S5L8930X for the A4 and S5L8940X for the A5.

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around Apple’s iPad 3, many of which are contradictory. But some of the more plausible rumors include the iPad 3 running a next-gen, quad-core processor (supported by the BGR report), and a high-resolution, Retina Display-quality screen. The display is expected to stay at 9.7-inches diagonal.

BGR doesn’t have a perfect track record when it comes to predicting upcoming Apple specs. For example, the site reported it was “all but imminent” that the iPhone 4S would include NFC technology. So, as always, take your daily dose of Apple rumors with a grain of salt.